In 5th edition, darkness is a fun and versatile element to play with. Whether you’re an aspiring evil mastermind or seek to bend the powers of shadow to your more benevolent whims, darkness is a great way to add depth and excitement to your game. ..
One of the easiest ways to create magical darkness in Dungeons and Dragons is by using a spell called Darkness. This spell causes an area to become dark, making it difficult for enemies to see or attack. ..
You cast a spell that creates a dark, swirling vortex. The vortex lasts for ten minutes, and it can be created in any direction. It takes up a space of 60 feet, and it can be created by using verbal and material components.
The darkness spell creates a bubble of pure shadow and darkness with a 15-foot radius. You can place that bubble on either a point you chose, an object you’re holding, or an object that isn’t being held or carried by another creature.
The darkness is magical, so even creatures with natural darkvision can’t see through it.
This spell works like an anti-light spell. You can cover the source of the spell with an object to ‘cut off’ the darkness temporarily.
The spell also dispels any spell of 2nd level or lower that creates an area of light.
Who Gets Darkness?
This is a difficult question.
The sorcerer, warlock, and wizard spell lists are changing, so the Circle of the Land druids can pick up the spell whenever they want.
Shadow monks can cast darkness using their ki points. ..
Oathbreaker is a spell that can be chosen by the Oathbreaker paladin. It allows them to gain a bonus to their AC for a short period of time.
Bards can always pick Darkness as one of their Magical Secrets, but they usually have more high-powered spells in mind by the time they get that feature. ..
The Drow and certain types of Tieflings can cast the darkness spell for free once per day at level 5.
Spellcasters who select the Mark of Shadow from the Eberron setting can add darkness to their spell list, regardless of their class. ..
Where Things Get Tricky…
A lot of new players are confused by the darkness spell because it interacts with the Advantage and Disadvantage system in 5th edition D&D.
In darkness, most people can’t see you.
The downside to this design is that you can’t see out.
The generally-agreed ruling is that creatures inside the bubble of darkness are heavily obscured, so attacks against them have disadvantage (roll twice and take the lower result).
If creatures can’t see through magical darkness, they are effectively blinded, which gives attackers an advantage (roll twice and take the higher result). Since advantage and disadvantage cancel each other out, everyone rolls normally. ..
This is up to each individual DM.
If you’re using the spell, always ask your DM how they think it should work. Some DMs might prefer to use a different version of the spell, depending on the situation. ..
You can still target creatures inside a field of darkness, but they may not take the Hide action.
You can still pick a place to fire within the darkness, but there’s no guarantee that your shots will hit the target.
Why Use Darkness in 5e?
In a lot of situations, darkness can be a useful tool.
In a world where the sun never sets, darkness can be just as refreshing.
A giant lightless bubble is a very distracting object.
There are many reasons why people are afraid of the dark. For one, there is no telling what might be lurking in the shadows. Additionally, some people may be afraid of the dark because it can create feelings of anxiety and fear. ..
You can use darkness to stop spells (of 2nd level or lower) that create areas of light. Faerie fire and flaming sphere both create areas of light as part of their effects.
If your sphere of darkness overlaps their area of light, the spell that made that light is negated. ..
When facing an enemy caster, using dispel magic at lower levels can help get rid of any nasty effects. ..
If you’re ever in a situation where you have to fight a band of evil druids, one shadow monk can cast darkness and quickly run around the battlefield to stop all their spells.
When I say that, I’m not just saying it to make you feel better. In fact, if you’re feeling down about something, using this phrase can actually help you feel better. When someone is feeling down or upset, they might say that they’re “not feeling well.” This phrase can be used to describe yourself in the same way. You might say that you’re not feeling well and want to take some time for yourself.
A sphere of darkness is a great place for rogues to hide with their Cunning Action.
A creature in darkness can only be attacked by creatures that can see it, and anything that moves into the sphere of darkness is harder to spot and impossible to target with spells or effects that require something to see its target.
You can’t use your Attack action to target creatures you can’t see, but you can still use your spells to do so.
Some damaging spells require you to target a creature you can see.
If you can’t see the darkness, you can’t cast the spells.
There are a few spells that target an area of effect, but they’re much more limited in what you can do with them.
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How To See In Magical Darkness
A player’s best chance of success in D&D is to be on-time for their session. If you’re not, make sure you have a plan in place to make up the time.
A spell like darkness can’t be cast by creatures with darkvision.
Sorcerers
The Shadow Magic sorcerer origin allows a player to cast darkness using their two of their sorcery points, and to see through the magical darkness they create. ..
You can use the Font of Magic feature to convert a 2nd level spell slot into 2 sorcery points. This allows you to not waste all your starting sorcery points on casting darkness.
Warlocks & Invocations
Devil’s Sight allows a warlock to see through both mundane and magical darkness.
Wizards of the Coast has released a public playtest document for their upcoming game, Dungeons and Dragons, which allows players to take a feat called Eldritch Adept. This feat allows other characters to take one of the warlock invocations.
Spellcasters and pact magic users can now access a powerful new ability. ..
Devil’s Sight allows rogues and Eldritch Knights to comfortably surround themselves in darkness before rushing their opponents, giving them an advantage for their sneak attack and protecting them at the same time. ..
The developers are still in the process of testing the feat, but they hope to release it in a published form soon. ..
A number of warlock abilities are appealing enough to make some characters consider what entities they could bargain with for a little extra power. If you’re not a warlock, you may want to consider multiclassing into one in order to get the Devil’s Sight invocation. Although a number of warlock abilities are appealing enough to make some characters consider what entities they could bargain with for a little extra power.
Druids & Wild Shapes
Arcane magic can be used to see through the darkness spell, but it’s not the only way. There are other ways to see what’s going on in the world, and those ways can be more difficult but also more rewarding.
Some beasts have blindsight, allowing them to perceive their surroundings without relying on sight. ..
Druids have a variety of spells to choose from when casting darkness with a friend, including bats and giant scorpions. ..
Imagine the feeling of being surrounded by a pack of lions, all of whom are ready to pounce on you at any moment.
At 10th level, a Circle of the Moon druid can turn into an earth elemental. This particular elemental has tremorsense, the ability to sense creatures from the vibrations they cause in the ground, giving it one more powerful form it can take to fight in darkness and concealment. ..
The beast options also work for casters using the polymorph spell, but by the time players can cast the spell, the ideal options are narrowed down to the giant shark, the hulking crab, and the huge giant crab from White Plume Mountain.
Wizards & Familiars
Bats are important because they can be summoned as wizards’ familiars. ..
The Familiar spell can deliver spells with a range of touch. If the caster touches the target, the spell will be delivered to them.
Wizards can direct their familiars to touch creatures inside the darkness spell, then cast shocking grasp or another touch spell. ..
Since area-of-effect spells don’t care about the blinded condition, a caster can throw a carefully-placed fireball at a creature within darkness without fear of it being blocked.
Don’t burn your ally - it could mean the end of the relationship.
The spellcasters of the world can use the same trick by taking the Magic Initiate or Ritual Caster feat to learn the find familiar spell. This spell allows you to search for a specific familiar, even if it is out of your reach.
You can store your spells in a ring of spell storage, in the unlikely event you happen to have one of those lying around.
Everything Else
There are a number of other ways to ignore the effects of magical darkness. ..
The item known as the gem of seeing or the dagger of blindsight from Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage let a character see through magical darkness. This is a legendary war pick that can be found in Princes of the Apocalypse.
The gem and dagger are both rare items, but they are usually too expensive for lower-leveled parties and may not even be obtainable in-game.
Artificers who have mastered the art of gem crafting can create replicas of magical gems that allow them to see things as if they were looking through a clear window. The ability to create these gems is available to artificers at level 14, which is a little late for many parties. ..
Other items include a Danoth’s Visor, a Silken Sprite, or an Belashyrra’s Beholder Crown.
The three items are extremely valuable and rare. There is no guarantee they could be found or even exist in a particular campaign.
You could try to become a dragonborn.
Your DM can choose to have your character become a half-dragon with blindsight out to 10 feet if they choose. ..
There are several benefits your DM can give you to help combat the darkness problem. The Boon of Truesight is only available to 20th level characters, and is not a practical solution to the darkness problem. ..
Wizards of the Coast released a new playtest document for Class Feature Variants in 2019 that included a new fighting style for fighters, paladins, and rangers called ‘Blind-Fighting’. This new style is designed to make fighter characters more vulnerable to enemy attacks, and is perfect for those who want to add an extra layer of strategy to their games.
This fighting style would allow characters to ignore any disadvantage caused by not being able to see a target.
The Class Feature Variants were very popular. Wizards has confirmed that most of the content in that document will be published in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. ..
Combat Tricks & Darkness Uses
The darkness spell can be a powerful tool for those who know how to use it. ..
If you’re lucky, maybe your entire party can see in magical darkness.
Your druid can turn into a giant scorpion, your pact of the blade warlock has Devil’s Sight, and your wizard has a bat familiar.
Most of the other characters in this story won’t be able to see through your magical darkness bubble.
If you want to make sure your party is safe and sound, one of the best ways to do it is by carefully placing darkness.
Remember: you can’t always rely on darkness to protect you. Devils have their own Devil’s Sight ability, and can see in magical darkness.
Some creatures have special senses that allow them to see things in ways other creatures cannot. Dragons have blindsight, which means they cannot see anything except what is directly in front of them. Some elementals have tremorsense, which allows them to sense vibrations through the ground and other objects. Some spellcasters, fiends, and fey have truesight, which allows them to see things as if they were right next to them. ..
This will let them see whether you cast darkness or not, and they will make their decision accordingly.
Which is a bad thing.
It’s important to have a variety of strategies in your fight arsenal, but if you’re just using the same old things over and over again, the game will get boring quickly.
When you can, work together to meet new challenges. This will help you stay ahead of the competition and make sure that your game is the best it can be.
Large and Huge Creatures
Some creatures are so big that you can cover their head with the sphere of darkness without covering their entire body. ..
Large creatures like dire wolves and aboleths can be a challenge to fight if you’re not careful. Positioning your allies so they can attack unhindered while you keep these creatures in sight can help make the fight a little easier. ..
If you manage to cover only a small part of the creature’s body, it becomes blinded by the darkness while the party can attack its feet or other extremities with impunity.
The now-blinded creature has disadvantage on all of its attacks, while the party would have advantage on all of theirs. ..
This combination of spells and techniques lets the party keep a target safely blinded by the field of darkness.
The Sentinel is a great tool for tracking down criminals.
If the creature tries to move out of the darkness, a character in melee range can make it stay put. ..
If the creature simply turns around to target someone outside the field of darkness, it’s still not a permanent solution.
Ready action: Other PCs can take the Ready action, holding onto spells or melee attacks until the character with the darkness spell can get into position.
If the trigger for their Readied actions is the monster being blinded, they can wait for their attacks to go off once the monster is vulnerable again and then take action.
If you’re trying to cast a spell and the monster makes a run for it, it’s possible that you’ll lose the spell. If you’re trying to readied a spell and lose concentration, the spell might not work. ..
Gargantuan And (Some) Huge Creatures
What if the monster is taller than the 15 foot radius of darkness and can see in the dark?
Raising the object a foot or two to make sure the giant’s head is inside the darkness should be easy. ..
The 26-foot-tall storm giant is a bit more difficult to shenanigans with. ..
The Dungeon Master’s Guide details rules for climbing onto bigger creatures, because who doesn’t want to climb a giant?
Any industrious adventurer who can manage to teleport onto or climb up to a giant’s head can effectively blind them with an area of darkness, while leaving their feet visible to the rest of the party. This tactic is especially effective against giants who rely on their eyesight to navigate their surroundings. ..
Large creatures, such as the giant bird-like rocs and massive dinosaurs like the brontosaurus, are susceptible to predation by other large creatures. ..
There are some creatures that are too big to fit in the dark, and others that have to climb tall trees. In either case, you can use this strategy to your advantage.
Don’t try this on dragons—blindsight makes them quick to take down anyone who tries it.
Flying Balls of Shadow
Flying while emitting a 15-foot-radius sphere of darkness is even more beneficial. ..
Aarakocra and winged tieflings have an easier time keeping large creatures’ upper bodies inside of a field of darkness, and can easily move to keep them within the bubble.
Flying creatures can achieve the same effect as land-bound creatures by using methods such as broom of flying, winged boots, or some other means.
This trick is more dangerous if you hit someone with it.
Darkness Bomb
When you cast your darkness spell, you can cover up your darkness with an object.
The spell doesn’t say anything about what you do with the object once you cast it. You can give it to someone else, or use it yourself.
Put a small, breakable, container with darkness on it into the dark.
A small wooden box may have been used to smuggle contraband into a prison. ..
Opening a dark sphere can unleash a burst of darkness. ..
If you throw a grenade, it has the potential to go off and cause serious harm or death to anyone nearby. ..
Shadow Magic sorcerers and Way of Shadow monks can use this spell to improve their abilities in the dark.
Both characters have a landing pad of shadow that allows them to teleport through dim light and darkness. This landing pad can let them teleport behind enemy lines or into rooms that were previously filled with light.
Darkness 5e Builds
There are many ways to make the darkness spell a core element of your character. You could focus on developing a dark persona, learning dark magic, or even using darkness as a tool for your character’s advantage. Whatever you choose, make sure it is an aspect of your character that you feel passionate about and that contributes to your story. ..
Here are a few builds that might inspire you. ..
Nature’s Darkness
Moon druids are able to see with blindsight or tremorsense.
Wild Shape doesn’t stop you from concentrating on spells you’ve already cast, so if you have darkness, there’s nothing to stop you from casting the spell, using Wild Shape, and then terrifying your enemies.
Your best bet for level 2 is the giant spider or ice spider. These spiders are very powerful and can take down most creatures with ease.
Level 6 features a few more options for players, including a giant constrictor snake and a hunter shark. These two creatures can both be used as underwater forms, making them perfect for exploring the depths of the ocean.
The level 9 netherworld nether spirit rewards you with the giant scorpion, level 10 earns you the earth elemental, and higher levels give you access to creatures like the giant coral snake and the hulking crab.
Cons: Moon druids are very vulnerable to damage, and their casting speed can be slowed by enemies.
The moon druid is a unique class that requires you to be a tiefling, drow, or mark of shadow elf from Eberron to play. You can pick a different race, but you’ll need to have a friend to cast darkness for you. Or you could multiclass, but the classes with the spell (sorcerer, warlock, and wizard) don’t have the best synergy with druids.
Some people might see this as a pro because it allows them to focus on their work. ..
If you’re a party member that includes a warlock planning to take Devil’s Sight or a Shadow Sorcerer, you can work together to free yourself from choosing a different race for your character.
The protagonist, a young woman, is on a road trip with her friends. They are driving through the Midwest when they come across a strange car. The driver, who seems to be in his forties or early fifties, is sitting in the backseat with a woman who looks to be in her late twenties or early thirties. The woman is wearing a bright green dress and the man is wearing a white shirt and tie. They don’t seem to be aware of each other. The protagonist’s friends start asking the man questions and he starts answering them back in an odd way. Eventually they realize that he is not from around here and they start to get worried. They pull over and the man gets out of the car. He starts walking towards them but then turns around and leaves without saying anything else.
Since the two of you are working together, it’s natural to wonder what the deeper meaning might be. Is there a hidden agenda behind your collaboration? Are you trying to build a stronger relationship or do you have some other ulterior motive? ..
Do you believe in a deity or fiend associated with night and darkness?
Do you enjoy stalking your prey in the dark, taking them down with swift and deadly precision? If so, then you may be a night assassin. Night assassins are typically skilled in stealth and using their surroundings to their advantage, making them some of the deadliest killers in the world. ..
You may have a good working relationship with your friend if you both enjoy combat techniques and spells that allow you to work well together. ..
Elf Shadowblade
Drow are a good choice for this build because they have the ability to cast darkness freely. ..
Warlocks will have an advantage in charisma-based combat, since eladrin have a natural charisma boost. ..
Charisma is the only requirement for becoming an elf. ..
Take the Hexblade warlock patron (to make weapon attacks with Charisma) and the Devil’s Sight Invocation, along with the Pact of the Blade. This pact allows you to see through enemy defenses, allowing you to strike quickly and easily against your foes.
With Pact of the Blade, you can now use a greatsword or other hefty weapon to fight with.
If you can afford it, 4th level is a great time to take the Elven Accuracy feat and boost your Charisma. ..
You can cast darkness, see in magical darkness, attack with Charisma using a weapon with a large damage die, and whenever you attack with advantage because of darkness, you get to roll 3 times and take the highest result.
Cons: You’re not a caster. This means you can’t use your spells to heal or buff your allies, and you can’t use them to damage enemies. You also have a limited number of invocations per day, so you need to be careful how much magic you use.
Elven Accuracy works whenever you have advantage, so even if you can’t use darkness, you can still get the benefit. If you get find familiar through a feat, you can have it give you advantage with the Help action.
If you’re a drow, you can cast faerie fire for free. Other players can help by hitting enemies with the stunned, blinded, or restrained conditions, giving you additional openings.
Warlocks who take the Blade Pact ability must invest in some powerful abilities. The first is the Thirsting Blade invocation, which gives your attacks a chance to deal extra damage. Lifedrinker will make you heal for a percentage of your damage dealt, and Eldritch Smite will give you a chance to deal extra damage to enemies with magic resistance. Improved Pact Weapon can increase the damage of your pact weapons. ..
Shadow Monk
The original expert on darkness.
Monks can play a variety of games to keep their minds active and entertained. One popular game is called “Monk”, which is played with a board and pieces that represent different monastic orders. Players must move their pieces to capture other players’ pieces, while avoiding being captured themselves. The object of the game is to score points by capturing all of the other players’ pieces.
If you don’t have darkvision naturally, you may want to cast the darkvision spell at the beginning of your first short rest so you can get those ki points back.
Cons: They are not the best choice for new players, as their spells can be quite complex. Additionally, they require a lot of practice to get good at using them effectively. ..
Their teleportation and invisibility features make them even more impressive.
If you can, you should try to see in the darkness that you make.
If you’re blinded by your own darkness spell, you’re stuck.
Shadow monks can’t see through their own darkness like a shadow sorcerer, so we have to get creative. ..
You could multiclass warlock, but the warlock’s dependency on Charisma makes it less than ideal. If you want to go this route, you need at least 13 Charisma and you’ll have to get to 2nd level as a warlock.
Despite the risks, it’s still worth it to explore new and exciting opportunities.
Your monk class will be slowed down by the level you spend in a warlock class.
If your DM allows you to use Unearthed Arcana playtest content, you could take the Fighting Initiate feat from the 2020 Feats document.
That would let you take the Blind-Fighting style from the Class Feature Variants.
While it wouldn’t let you see in magical darkness, it would let you get advantage against creatures while you fight them in your spell.
If you can achieve this feat, you can play as a variant human.
You can take 1 level of Fighter at 1st level and gain the Fighting Initiate feat.
That should let you take the Blind-Fighting style, and give you Second Wind as a bonus short-rest recharge healing ability.
The Dark Knight
I cannot believe that he would say that.
The Eldritch Knights have access to the wizard’s spell list, including the darkness spell.
If your DM allows playtest content, or the Blind-Fighting style is published in Tasha’s, then you have a character who can function exceptionally well in the dark.
Warlock is a great class for multiclassing into. It has a lot of potential for versatility and can be used in many different ways. ..
Shadow Blade is a spell that can be learned at level 3. It allows the user to slash through enemies with ease.
If you are fighting alongside someone else with the darkness spell, you can concentrate on shadow blade while your buddy keeps up darkness.
The Shadow Blade grants an advantage on attacks made against targets in dim light or darkness, and deals 2d8 psychic damage on a hit. ..
If you play an elf for the Elven Accuracy feat, you’re in a better position to take advantage of the shadows since shadow blade creates a finesse weapon that works for the Elven Accuracy feat.
